>> we should not allow the federal judiciary to destroy the vote of the people, especially on something as old and good as marriage. >> reporter: but opponents led by two california couples say prop 8 stigmatizes gays and that their marriages would do no harm. >> everyone we know and love has this right, and we don't, and it's time for us to have a chance at that happiness, as well. >> reporter: the case comes amid a sea change in public opinion. about half of all americans now support same-sex marriage, which is legal in nine states and the district of columbia. still, 30 states explicitly ban same-sex unions in their constitutions. >> the justices are insulated from public opinion, but they're not deaf. >> reporter: now tomorrow in a separate case, the justices will consider whether married gay couples deserve the same federal tax and entitlement benefits as heterosexual couples. both cases will be decided in

june, john and diana. >> two separate questions here. one is what's going to happen today inside of the court, and, secondly, are we going to get any clues as to how the justices might decide? >> reporter: well, just about 10:00 a.m. people will start filing in for an hour of arguments. the court says those arguments could run longer given the significance of the case, and all eyes are going to be on the questioning of the justices for lawyers on both sides, particularly from justice anthony kennedy. he's considered a swing voter on the court. kennedy has a history of supporting gay rights but also the rights of states to determine their own policies. marriage, of course, is a state issue, but legal experts say you can't determine from questioning alone just which way the court will decide, john and diana. >> all right, devin dwyer in washington. thank you. there is breaking news in the amanda knox case. the italian supreme court just now ordering a new trial. it's a stunning development. the justices overturned her acquittal from 2011. the university of washington student made international headlines. she served four years in prison for murdering her roommate,

again, a retrial ordered for amanda knox. we'll have much more on "good morning america." in another developing story, north korea making a new threat this morning. within the past few hours, the north's state-run news agency reported that military units have been put on alert to attack guam, hawaii and the mainland united states. this combat posture is reportedly in response to u.s. flights over the region. and secretary of state john kerry is wrapping up a short visit to afghanistan meeting with a second -- for a second time this morning with president hamid karzai. the two men put on a public show of unity despite suggestions of increasing behind-the-scenes bickering over security issues between the u.s. and afghanistan. michele bachmann facing a congressional ethics investigation over her short-lived presidential campaign. the minnesota republican and tea party favorite dropped out of the race after a sixth place finish in the iowa caucuses. now, the campaign has already been the subject of a lawsuit and an investigation by the federal election commission.

new twists this morning in the murder of colorado's prison system chief. he was gunned down on his front porch by a hit man, possibly as payback for trying to break up a white supremacist prison gang. here's abc's brandi hitt. ♪ >> reporter: in a somber moment at the funeral for tom clements, the wife of colorado's prison chief described the moment he was killed. >> last tuesday night tom and i were watching tv, and our doorbell rang, and my life was forever changed. >> reporter: clements was gunned down answering the door, and detectives now say ballistic evidence ties the murder to suspect evan ebel, who was killed in a shootout with texas police two days later. >> the casings that were found at the scene in texas, as well as the casings that were found at this scene, match. >> reporter: ebel was a member of the white supremacist prison gang, the 211 crew, and abc news has learned that before clements

was killed, he thought the gang was getting too strong and tried to break it up. investigators are now interviewing inmates to see if anyone ordered a hit. >> they devised all kinds of codes and might send out a letter that looks benign but may direct a hit or some other criminal activity. >> reporter: reverend leon kelly runs a reform group in colorado and says prison gangs are so powerful, if a hit was ordered, ebel would have been pressured to carry it out. >> a lot of these guys deal with the element of fear. if you don't do what we tell you to do, not only will you be in jeopardy for your safety but your family, as well. >> reporter: but reverend kelly believes ebel acted alone and says so many gang members respected tom clements, this week's parolee graduation will be dedicated to him. brandi hitt, abc news, los angeles. the wintry blast that whipped across the country from denver to d.c. has finally moved out, but millions of people in the midwest are still coping with the mess that's left behind. the spring storm dumped nearly 20 inches of snow, some areas making roads treacherous. st. louis got a foot making it the biggest one-day snowfall

ever recorded in the month of march. wow. >> where is spring? let's find out. time for the weather across the nation. flurries around chicago, that doesn't sound like spring. grand rapids and indianapolis, snow showers also from upstate new york down to knoxville. chilly morning along the gulf coast, scattered showers from seattle to northern california and light snow in the rockies. >> mostly 50s in the rockies and from dallas to new orleans, upper 50s for much of the east coast. 39 in chicago and 29 in fargo. all right, millions of jews around the world have marked the beginning of passover with the traditional meal. >> president obama held a private seder last night at the white house a small group of aides and friends. passover celebrates the liberation of jews from slavery in ancient egypt. coming up, the death of the stiletto. really. a footwear revolution in the works. then pricey ex-presidents. millions spent on offices for the former leaders of the free world. how much is too much? and a daredevil that flies like superman, videos watched by

millions online. now a tragedy. details coming up.

welcome back. cyprus may have been saved by its eurozone bailout, but the aftershocks go on. banks will stay closed until thursday for fear of a run by customers and a suggestion by one european finance chief that other troubled countries could face the same tough measures. it has spooked investors around the globe including the u.s. where stocks are trading lower. federal reserve chair ben bernanke is defending the u.s. approach to the financial crisis. during a speech in london he said keeping interest rates near zero and other programs to stimulate investment have not only boosted the u.s. economy alone but those of its trading partners and other countries around the world, as well. a boeing 787 dreamliner took

off to the air on monday for the first time since january. the flight from its washington airfield was just a test of the jet's redesigned battery system. the entire fleet was grounded because of trouble with batteries on two different dreamliners. boeing has added more insulation and better ways of preventing overheating. america has four living former presidents, and they are still on the u.s. payroll. last year taxpayers spent $3.7 million on presidents george w. bush, bill clinton, george h.w. bush and jimmy carter, and that does not include what the secret service spends protecting them and their families. women may be coming down to earth when it comes to their footwear. a new survey finds that 62% of women are giving up those super high heel shoes in favor of more comfortable ones. sarah jessica parker of "sex and the city" fame is once again a trend setter saying those stilettos have done damage to her feet. are you going to give yours up? flats for you? >> i've always had flats. every once in a while stilettos but not a trend for me.

no thanks. coming up on this tuesday, just in the nick of time, a hiker is rescued after being stranded on a mountain for days. and a vacation tragedy for gabby gifford's husband mark kelly. details when we come back. husband mark kelly. details with we come back. you see the "mini" ion my chest? funny, yes? no. there's nothing mini about me. i'm huge. ahem. any hoo. even my wrapper has a wrapper. flavor? i'm bursting with it. creamy? i ooze it. quality like this... (muffled):...doesn't come everyday. well technically it does because i'm in the grocery but... ooh, how you doin'? rich. creamy. and 100% natural cheese. mini babybel. snack a little bigger.

then we tried new nutri-grain fruit crunch bar. it's so crunchy. crunchy granola, mmmm... made with real fruit, 20 grams of whole grains. now, we love mornings. ♪ the intense ache made it hard to do the things that i wanted. my doctor diagnosed it as fibromyalgia -- thought to be the result of over-active nerves that cause chronic, widespread pain. lyrica is believed to calm these nerves. i learned lyrica can provide significant relief from fibromyalgia pain. so now, i can do more of the things i enjoy. lyrica is not for everyone. it may cause serious allergic reactions or suicidal thoughts or actions. tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worsening depression, or unusual changes in mood or behavior. or swelling, trouble breathing, rash, hives, blisters, changes in eyesight including blurry vision, muscle pain with fever, or tired feeling. common side effects are dizziness,

sleepiness, weight gain and swelling of hands, legs and feet. don't drink alcohol while taking lyrica. don't drive or use machinery until you know how lyrica affects you. those who have had a drug or alcohol problem may be more likely to misuse lyrica. with less pain, i'm feeling better with lyrica. ask your doctor if lyrica is right for your fibromyalgia pain. a drowsy driver being blamed for this accident in southern florida. now, check it out. police say the man fell asleep at the wheel and crashed his van into the guardrail. the metal rail punched all the way through the van. it ended up sticking out through the back. amazingly, the driver was not seriously hurt. >> wow. all right, let's take a look at the morning road conditions, a wet ride from seattle to portland and northern california. slick passes in the northern rockies. snow showers could make for a slick commute around the great lakes and the tennessee valley. looks like a great day for flying. no weather-related airport delays are expected across the country. all right, back to the news now, there is still no sign of a

vial containing a potentially deadly virus that's gone missing from a research lab in texas. >> how does a virus go missing? the particular strain of the missing virus can cause hemorrhaging, fever, it's considered a possible bio weapon. but lab officials insist it poses no real public threat, especially because the virus cannot survive outside the freezer, and they say the vial was most likely destroyed during a routine cleaning. horrified shoppers at a pittsburgh target store witnessed a violent attack on three people including a 16-year-old girl. police say the suspect was chased into the store by two men after a fight. he slashed those men and then grabbed a teenager who was standing with her family and used her as a shield. when he stabbed the teen, though, several customers tackled him and held him until police arrived. an attempt to re-create a stunt made popular on youtube has ended in tragedy. a 22-year-old man was killed trying the stunt like the one you see here. he was hoping to swing through the opening of a massive sandstone arch in utah, but he

left too much slack on the rope and crashed to the ground. the stunt called pendulum swinging has more than 17 million views on youtube. former congresswoman gabby giffords and her husband mark kelly were enjoying a southern california beach vacation until this past weekend when their amateur video here shot shows a dog belonging to kelly's daughter suddenly broke free and attacked a sea lion that had beached itself. well, kelly and his daughter struggled with the 65-pound dog. eventually they did manage to pull it away. police did not issue a citation saying that kelly did nothing wrong. all right, a survival story from the mountains above los angeles. a hiker is recovering after spending days stuck in a crack between two rocks. he was found by a dog and his owner who regularly hiked that mountain. the hiker was within 100 feet of the trail but apparently no one could hear his cries for help. they're piecing that story together. >> talking to him, he came up

here at nighttime, so we think he was unaware of his footing. slipped in between some rocks, slid down to the location where he was at. >> the man was severely dehydrated and understandably hungry, but he is going to be okay. all right, on to sports now. march madness is taking a bit of a breather. the sweet 16 begins thursday night. as for nba highlights, we get those from espn. welcome in to your "sportscenter" update. i'm dario melendez. the heat put their 26-game win streak on the line last night in the magic kingdom. lebron james and company though tied at 68 in the third quarter. that's when lebron just does what he does. he went off. the huge dunk there puts the heat up a deuce. then later in the third ray allen, he's been known to knock down a three or two. the heat shot 15 of 28 from behind the arc in this one. to the fourth. heat up, 11. norris cole, the alley, lebron james, the one-handed hoop. lebron james, 24 points, 11 assists, 9 boards, 1 shy of a triple-double. moments later, lebron sharing the love. chris anderson.

the heat win it 108-94 extending it to 27 straight games. the nuggets already riding a double-digit win straight, 15 straight taking on the pelicans. first quarter, nuggets down 4. andre miller making it a two-point game. but that's as close as they would get because the horns run away in this one. ryan anderson, 2 of his 23 points off the bench. hornets up 13. but the man of the day was brian roberts. dishing it out frequently. there to darius miller and here to anderson for three. roberts, 13 points, 18 assists, and the hornets win it, 110-86. so the nuggets' win streak is no more. that is your "sportscenter" update. have a great morning. well, when tiger woods tees off at the masters two weeks from thursday, he'll do so as the world's number one golfer. woods has climbed to the top of the rankings after winning the arnold palmer invitational. >> yep, it's his third win of the year but the first time he has been number one since back in 2010. up next, tracking down the winner of that $338 million powerball prize. >> oh, boy.

and the internet bubble is back, at least for one young man. what he did to become the next newest multimillionaire. plus, it's elimination night on the dance floor, so who is most likely to go? ( ♪ ) for those nights when it's more than a bad dream, be ready. for the days when you get a sudden call from the school, be ready. for the times you need to double-check the temperature on the thermometer, be ready. when you have children's motrin on hand, you're ready. for high fever, nothing works faster or lasts longer than children's motrin. be ready with children's motrin. new honey bunches of oats greek yohere we go.ole grain. honey cornflakes and chunks of greek yogurt. i'm tasting both the yogurt and the honey at the same time.

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when i was told that i couldn't build my product in the united states, i knew that they were wrong. "world news with diane sawyer" cared enough about me and my story to want to help and called. >> "world news" helped donny and i connect together, which resulted in creating new jobs in the midwest. >> i'm living proof of what "world news with diane sawyer" can do. >> we do things the made in america way around here. >> you work hard, you play hard and you drink a little sweet tea. that's about it.

i'm donny mccomb, and that's my abc "world news" story. ♪ all right. are you ready to be jealous? topping tuesday's "pulse," a couple of stories about instant multimillionaires. one of them is a young man from london. he just sold an app to yahoo! for a reported $30 million, and get this, he's only 17. >> wow. nick d'aloisio began working on the app when he was only 15. that makes him younger than yahoo! which was incorporated in march 1995, and he told the bbc this is just the beginning. >> i'll be based in london with yahoo! as we kind of work to integrate the technology. long term i have a lot of ideas that i want to pursue. >> my goodness. give that kid detention. nick still has a year and a half left of high school, but because of the yahoo! policy against working from home, he's going to have to take classes out of the

yahoo! office. >> poor guy. now, the man who became five times richer than that kid. that's because he's holding the sole winning ticket to that staggering powerball jackpot. >> can you imagine? an elated pedro quezada validated his ticket at a liquor store in passaic, new jersey. the 44-year-old immigrant from the dominican republic has not officially come forward officially to claim that $338 million prize. >> the father of five runs a convenience store with one of his sons, and after taxes, he'll get a lump sum payment of a measly $150 million. >> that's what happens. you win the lottery, and you better start running because a lot of people want a piece of you. >> everybody is going to be chasing that guy. i think i'm related to him. >> you have a little dominican -- yeah, why not. >> we're all cousins. tonight is the night you will see the first elimination from the latest cast of "dancing with the stars." >> 16-year-old disney star zendaya jived her way to the top of the leaderboard. scores from last night will be added to last week's scores, and that puts d.l. hughley in last place. >> well, after the viewers have

their say, we'll find out in just a couple of hours from now who will be escorted out of the ballroom for good. >> wah, wah. and this might be the best gadget forever for lazy pizza lovers. it's a refrigerator magnet that orders your favorite pizza pie for delivery. >> that's right. you don't even have to leave your couch to make this little thing work. you just have to push a button on the magnet and, voila, your pizza is on the way. there is just one downside, however. for now this bluetooth device only works with one pizza delivery company, which, oh, happens to be in dubai. >> in dubai. >> it's going to take a while for the pizza to get here. >> that's a long pizza delivery. airmail for that. we should have had that while in college. i can't eat pizza anymore. i get too fat. >> poor thing. >> for some of you your local news is coming up next. for the rest of you, we'll see you in a bit. with unitedhealthcare, i get information that matters... my individual health profile. not random statistics. they even reward me for addressing my health risks.

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>> live from the kgo-tv broadcast center this is abc7 news. >> good morning. 4:28 is our time on this

tuesday. >> we have breaking news from the east bay where a fire has destroyed part of a building that broke out on park street at san jose avenue before 2:30. the firefighters have the fire under control. there is no word yet on injuries or if people were displaced from their homes. we will bring you more details when we get them. in san jose a one-alarm fire displaces 21 residents in an apartment building. it broke out before midnight. firefighters brought the flames under control in 15 minutes. two units were damaged badly. the cause is not determined. >> driving in, sprinkles on my cars. >> really? >> there were high winneds on the bay bridge, the signs were lit up. >> we would like to get more from the system. here is live doppler 7 hd with the hills in the east bay

looking at returns and we had a report of light rain at sfo so there are clouds out there. maybe some mist and drizzle but overall we have cloudy conditions. temperatures this morning are similar to yesterday with clouds in the 40's and 50's. upper 40's in fairfield, and 50 in hayward. today, count on the cloud cover. whether we see rain, count yourself lucky, mid-50's at the coast and upper 60's around the bay and better chance of rain at the end of the week. >> not a problem with wet roads this morning so that is good. we have the high wind advisory on the bay bridge. golden gate bridge just with road work in the northern portion of the span. you are down do one lane on the span and then it is wide open with two lanes for the morning commute. that will expand to four. we have reports often accident on the shoulder in sunny spray. northbound 101, not causing any problems there. otherwise, road work out there and northbound 880 to 237, two

left lanes until 7:00 this morning. kristen and eric? >> new this morning, for the first time during a morning commute, drivers along the san mateo county coast are able to avoid a dangerous stretch of highway one. one of the two devil's slide tunnels opened last night. abc7 news reporter amy hollyfield is live at the tunnels in pacifica. >> good morning. they are open. we have been watching cars successfully go in and out. there is a sign that says "tunnel open, use caution." they want people to go carefully as they test drive the tunnels for the first time. they opened overnight. let me show you video from the ceremony yesterday. dignitaries gathered to celebrate the opening to a ribbon ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating that people do not have to drive on the dangerous stretch of highway one anymore.

it is known as devil's slide tunnel and often plagued with landslides that cause shut downs. it is a dangerous stretch to drive. people now have two sheltered tunnels to get to pacifica, between pacifica and half moon bay. the businesses in the communities would suffer when the road would close so business owners are very happy. >> it will bring new businesses which are wonderful, with brand new restaurants opening up, we have beautiful beaches and parks and recreation, everything here to do. >> it is a welcome sign. >> they cost $439 million. they are three-quarters of a mile long. they are the first tunnel caltran has built since the east bay 50 years ago. they say these were a challenge because of environmental challenges. officials are feeling very proud of them. here comes a